Catching Wands
by Emberflame of ForestClan
Summary: Sequel to Hallows Games. Harry Potter, Katniss Everdeen, Ginny Weasley, and Peeta Mellark have won the Hunger Games, but are they really safe?
1. The Victory Tour

**A/N: Even though I ended on Harry's point of view in the last one, I'm going to start it from his again. And I think some questions are answered in this chapter…hmm…**

**Sorry this took so long to get up. Even though I'm on spring break now, I've still got a whole bunch to do. But hopefully I can get up another chapter or two of this. :)**

Harry

I was sleeping pretty well until McGonagall came in. Ugh, she had to wake me up so soon? I had barely been able to sleep, and when I finally did, she woke me up. Not fair.

But it was the day of the Victory Tour. We would be going back to Panem, since muggles couldn't come to Hogwarts. Oh well, it meant I could get away from the stares of people who had been friends with the other tributes. They blamed _me _for their deaths, even though I hadn't killed them.

Before, I'd always been somewhat…popular, I guess you could say, but now a lot of them hated me. It was quite annoying, actually. Is I was just asking a question, they'd say "Why don't you ask Cho? Oh wait…" Or Malfoy, Pansy, Cedric, Hannah—any of them that died, really!

At least Ron and Hermione still like me, although I hadn't expected them not to. They were best friends, they'd never do that to me.

"Mr. Potter, there's someone here to see you."

"Wha? Who?" I grabbed my glasses and put them on.

"You'd better come with me."

Once she left the room, I dressed quickly. I practically fell down the stairs, I was so nervous. Who would possibly visit me that was so important? And so early, too?

She led me up to Dumbledore's office. She told me he'd gone out for a bit, but he'd be back in time to get us back to Panem. We would be taking a Portkey again, but this time, we would go to the train station in District 12, where Katniss and Peeta live. Since they'll be on a train, it makes sense we'd be on it as well right?

A very toad-like woman and a very serious looking man were waiting. Oh no, had failed an exam too many or something? Or had they found out about my helping Fred and George smuggle in some of those Filibuster Fireworks? But how could they? I didn't think anyone knew…

When I stood there for a minute, even after Professor McGonagall left, the woman said, "Sit, Harry. We have much to discuss." Uh oh.

Hesitantly, I sat down. She smiled sweetly, as if we were just old friends seeing each other after a while. This lady was definitely not my friend.

"I am Rufus Scrimgeour. The new Minister of Magic."

"But…what happened to Fudge?"

"Oh Harry, please don't get off topic," the woman said. "I'm Dolores Umbridge."

"Uh, hi."

"Harry, we—" Scrimgeour began. Umbridge had made a small sound. _Hem, hem. _She cleared her throat again.

Suddenly, she stood, and walked right in front of me. "You were not supposed to live," she said nicely, _too _nicely. "You were supposed die in there. And if you make fools out of Ministry again…then you might as well say goodbye to everyone you ever cared about."

I wasn't supposed to live? Wait a second…somehow it all came together in my head.

"You! You organized it so Hogwarts would compete in the Games! You did it because you were just trying to kill me!" I was shouting now. "You fixed it so _I _would be chosen, because you thought I wouldn't make it!"

She smiled. "See, you're very clever to have figure that out." Now she was really pissing me off. I wanted to just reach up and claw her toady little face off, but I figured it'd be more trouble than it was worth.

And now, I had another enemy that would make my life a living hell. She just kept smiling at me. At least Scrimgeour looked like he would've wanted to kill her, too.

She glanced at the clock on the wall. "Well, we'd best be going. Wouldn't want you to be late."

She walked away, Scrimgeour following right behind her. Almost as soon as they were out of the room, Dumbledore popped back in. I jumped.

"I thought you couldn't apparate here?"

"I had to lift the rules for them."

I had to ask him. "Did you know?"

He opened his mouth, then closed it again, as though having to choose his words carefully. Although…maybe he did. "Know what?"

Normally, I wouldn't be angry with Dumbledore, but I'd put up with enough of his crap for almost six months now. "You know damn well what I'm talking about!' When he looked confused, I just walked out. I was so angry.

When I got down to the Great Hall, almost everyone had finished eating, and had headed to their classes or Common Rooms.

Then I realized I'd come back not long before the end of the term. Maybe I could stay with Ron a bit during the summer, it would be better than staying at the Dursleys

Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and I were some of the last people at the Gryffindor table. They had waited for me to come down.

"Ron heard McGonagall get you this morning, what happened?"

"Nothing," I muttered. I had a feeling that if they had wanted Ginny—or anyone else—to know, they would've told them, too. So I would just keep my mouth shut…for now.

They obviously didn't accept my answer, but they didn't push me for more. Ron and Hermione had a free period, so we just stayed in the Great Hall for a while. Dumbledore came in and told us it was time to go. I was still mad at him, though.

We said goodbye to Ron and Hermione, and they went to class. Once again, Dumbledore held out an old boot. What was with him the boots anyway? Oi.

Ginny and I grabbed onto the boot, and in a minute we were back in Panem in the "Justice Building" in District 12. And, of course, our stylists were there. Ugh. We weren't in there long before they came up and ushered us into other rooms.

Well, I was at least glad for the warm clothes. Even if we were going to be in a train most of the time, District 12 was _freezing_. I was surprised. It had been cold at Hogwarts, and there had been snow, but it at least hadn't seemed so cold.

We met Peeta and Katniss at the train station. It was no Platform 9 ¾ but it was alright. Almost as soon as we pulled away from the station, Katniss and Peeta went off to their separate rooms. They both looked mad. I wondered if they'd gotten in a fight or something. Or maybe they were just getting sick of each other…who knows?

Ginny and I just wandered around the train, trying to find something to do. We ended up in a room in the back, where the back opens up, so it's like you're sitting outside. It's pretty cool, actually.

We stayed there for a while, until someone came and told us we could go eat. Good. I was starving.

Surprisingly, Dumbledore wasn't there. But Peeta and Katniss's mentor, Haymitch, was. He was worse than how Katniss had described him. He was drunk. Very. Like that fifth year who'd gotten hold of a bottle of Firewhiskey. It was not pretty. Not at all. He looked as if he hadn't showered in days. Gross. And while we were eating too, but did it actually stop me? Nope, of course not. I couldn't have eaten the food faster if I'd been using a shovel instead of a fork.

We would get to District 11 in the morning. I was surprised at how close the Districts were to each other. Or maybe the train just went super fast. Either way, I was okay with it. The faster we got through this, the faster we'd be able to go home.

At least in the morning I was able to sleep in a bit. When I went to eat breakfast, Peeta was the only one there.

"Where is everybody?" I asked, loading my plate with food.

He shrugged. "I don't know, but Haymitch is probably passed out in his room."

"Ah."

I'll admit, I like Peeta better than Katniss, but maybe that's because he doesn't hate me. We were pretty quiet until our prep teams came in. I groaned. Spending another minute with them would be torture. But at least District 11 was warm.

The woman from the Capitol took us to the steps of the Justice Building. There were banners hanging on practically every building. It was crazy.

We recited the speech we had to present, and we could add something if we had alliances with the other tributes from that District. I tried to think of one for Rue, but I kept ending up with blank parchment sitting there, mocking me. So, I was going up there having no clue if was going to say something or not.

At least Hermione had drilled my part of the speech into my head; I could practically recite it forwards, backwards, and in my sleep. So I could try to think of something at least.

As they started to turn and walk away, I finally figure it out.

"Wait!" I couldn't go without saying something. Rue had saved my life. They all turned back to look at me. I could feel Ginny grabbing onto my arm. "I…I just have to say something. Rue is the reason I'm even alive today." I looked down to where her family was sitting. One of her sisters caught my eye. She looked so much like Rue, it was scary. "I probably would've died ten times over if it wasn't for her." I don't know where I was getting it, but it sounded pretty good.

Then, Katniss spoke up. What she said surprised me. "Thresh spared me. He could've killed me, but he didn't. He refused to play the Games on anyone's terms, but his own. I respected him for that."

Suddenly, someone whistled. I'd heard Rue do those same notes, but I'd never asked what it was. Now, I think I really should have. It took only a minute for others to copy. I looked around at the crowd, trying to find who had whistled. It was an old man.

We turned and walked into the building. Just as we were reaching the doors, Katniss mumbled something and turned back. I heard a thump, and then a gun shot.

I turned to see who it was, but two people in white uniforms were blocking us. One of them was shoving Katniss back using his gun. Peeta put his arm around her, and pulled her away.

"We're going! We're going!" he said.

Ginny grabbed my hand, and pulled me away. Seemed like she wanted to get of there more than I did, which I didn't even think was possible.

"You'd think we were criminals, the way they were pushing us back!" I heard Effie say.

"Did I hear a gun?" Haymitch asked.

"Yeah." Peeta said.

"Come on," Haymitch said. We followed him into a small room.

He turned and practically ripped the microphones off of Katniss and Peeta. Ginny and I took ours off before he could do it to us. He stuffed them under a couch cushion and started to walk away.

"Well? You just gonna stand there?"

All of us had stayed behind. We followed him up several staircases, through different rooms, through hidden doors, I didn't know how he remembered where to go.

"Now, what the hell is going on? All the secrets have to stop." He asked.

"President Snow. He came to my house. Yesterday. He told me if I wasn't convincing enough. He told me I have to convince _him._" Katniss mumbled.

When Haymitch looked unsurprised, Peeta looked ready to punch someone. "You knew?" He was almost yelling. "You knew and you didn't tell me! You have to tell me, I probably would've messed something up and got us all killed!" He smacked a lamp and sent it flying across the room, where it smashed against the wall.

"I'm sorry," Katniss said. Peeta didn't respond, but he still seemed furious.

I'm not sure why but he turned to me and Ginny. It was as if he knew something had happened to me too. "The school wouldn't have sent kids in to fight if there wasn't a reason."

Why should I hide it? Ginny was looking very concerned, and there was no reason to keep it from her any longer.

"I…someone may have come to Hogwarts yesterday."

He cursed. "What happened?"

Hmm…how to respond without giving away magic...although maybe he already knew. Nah, I doubt it.

"Hogwarts was in the Games because they thought…they thought I'd get killed."

Ginny gasped. Haymitch looked like he understood, even though he knew next to nothing…or did he? I'm still not sure.

Ginny

Harry's personal bit surprised me. I knew he'd cared about Rue, but I didn't think he cared _that_ much. At least his part of the speech sounded good. I kept messing up my words, since I was only half paying attention. I kept having to correct myself.

When we walked back in I barely heard Katniss mutter, "Forgot my flowers." She turned back to get them. The people in white uniforms were blocking her. They were pretty much poking her with their guns to get her back. Peeta wrapped his arm around her and led her away.

I grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him after them. I didn't want to spend any more time there. Frankly, they scared me. I wasn't paying attention to what Effie Trinket and Haymitch were saying. I was looking up at Harry. He looked worried. I was tempted to ask him what was going on, but I was going to wait until we were alone, just in case it was something to do with magic.

"Now, what the hell is going on? All the secrets have to stop." Haymitch asked.

Katniss spoke up. "President Snow. He came to my house. Yesterday. He told me if I wasn't convincing enough. He told me I have to convince _him._"

When Haymitch looked unsurprised, Peeta looked ready to punch someone, perhaps Katniss. I would've paid a hundred Galleons to see that. "You knew?" He was yelling now. "You knew and you didn't tell me! You have to tell me, I probably would've messed something up and got us all killed!" He smacked a lamp and sent it flying across the room, where it smashed against the wall.

"I'm sorry," Katniss said. Peeta didn't say anything, but he still seemed pretty mad.

Haymitch turned to me and Harry. "The school wouldn't have sent kids in to fight if there wasn't a reason."

"I…someone may have come to Hogwarts yesterday," Harry admitted. Oh God. _That_ must've been why he was so on edge.

Haymitch cursed. "What happened?"

How was he going to respond without giving away too much about magic? That was going to be tricky.

"Hogwarts was in the Games because they thought…they thought I'd get killed."

Well then, they must be idiots. He survived the Killing Curse when he was a baby! The Hunger Games wouldn't kill him. _Even though they almost did…_Some part of my brain reminded me.

Haymitch turned to me, but I shrugged. Nothing that bad had happened to me. Actually, almost nothing had happened to me. Except sending owls home to my parents.

The rest of the night was a blur. People kept coming up to us at the most inconvenient times, shaking our hands, hugging us, congratulating us, wishing us well. By the end of the night I was ready to sleep.

But when we got back to train, I couldn't sleep. Too many thoughts were running through my head, and I couldn't make enough sense out of any of them to make them go away. Suddenly I heard someone yelling. It was Harry, it had to be.

I got out of my bed and followed the sound. I opened the door and slipped inside. He was thrashing around so much, I was surprised he hadn't fallen off the bed. I went over and put my hand on his shoulder.

"Harry?" When he didn't wake up I shook him. "Harry! HARRY!"

He sat up, practically knocking me to the floor. "Wha? Oh…sorry. Wait, why are you in here?"

"You…you were yelling. Are you okay?"

He sighed. "Just…Just a bad dream."

"Sounded more like a nightmare," I muttered.

"Yeah, it was."

I didn't pressure him. I wasn't sure if I even wanted to know. I sat down on the bed next to him, and he put his arms around me.

"This is going to be a long Victory Tour." I sighed.

"Yep," he agreed.

The rest of the Victory Tour was mostly a blur. Nothing happened, we fell into a kind of a pattern. Get up, eat, get ready, speech (with no more personal bits), dinner in the Justice Building, train, then repeat. Over and over until the Capitol.

I must say, the Capitol looks much more impressive under pleasanter circumstances. Although, the colors did seem a bit too bright. There was a full blown party there, plus the interview before that.

The questions were completely shallow, like what we did in our spare time now. Katniss designed clothes—although I could see right through that with the face she made when she said it, Peeta baked, and Harry and me? We still went to school. That's why were at Hogwarts. Our free time had basically been spent together, and with Ron and Hermione since all the rest of the time we'd been in class or I'd been studying for my O.W.L.s.

When he asked Peeta if he had any plans for the future, Peeta got down and asked Katniss to marry him. Although to me it seemed a bit staged. Katniss of course said yes. The President himself even made a surprise visit to congratulate them.

Caeser turned to Harry. "No more spontaneous proposals?"

Harry laughed. "No, no. Not quite yet." The way he said that made it sound there _would _be one, and soon too. Even though I knew it probably wouldn't, it made my heart skip a beat.

The interview carried on for a while. But once it was over, we went straight to the party. I'm not quite sure where it was, but it was very fancy. The place was decorated in every color imaginable, and the food was to die for. Harry and I just roamed around, trying out bits of this, bits of that.

Sometimes we were approached by people, but mainly we were left alone. Thank God, I didn't think I could stand another whiff of someone's alcohol-smelling breath. Practically everyone there had been drinking, and most had had way too much.

Thankfully, it seemed to go quickly, even though it was probably about midnight. When we got back to the train, and I was in my compartment, I fell asleep almost immediately.

District 12 was last, since it was Katniss and Peeta's District. They told me their District was pretty poor, so the Capitol was paying for it, or something like that. This should be interesting.

There was a dinner in the mayor's house, which was much bigger on the inside. The dinner was pretty much like the party in the Capitol, except almost everybody was from District 12.

I met Katniss's friend, the mayor's daughter Madge, and Peeta's brothers. They were the only ones that ever came up to me. All the rest were just milling around. I couldn't wait to get back to Hogwarts, at least they were more friendly there.

Once the party was over, Harry and I went to go find Katniss and Peeta. We'd see them at the next Games, when we'd be mentors. Even though we'd probably watch them get killed…

"Hey," Peeta said. "You guys gonna leave?"

"Yeah," I said. "I guess we'll see you again, though."

"Yeah, but of course it'll be at the next Games in the Capitol." Katniss grumbled.

"Of course," Harry scoffed, rolling his eyes.

We said goodbye and went outside, where Dumbledore was waiting. He hadn't been inside, but yet he was there. Huh. Maybe he'd been hiding out in the train.

This time we just apparated, since Dumbledore didn't have another old boot. At least the apparition ban had been lifted from the Great Hall so we could just go there instead of having to go to Hogsmeade first.

Everyone cheered. I saw Ron and Hermione in the front with Fred and George. They came up to us immediately.

Hermione was hugging me so tightly it was hard to breathe. "We're so glad you're back," she whispered.

"Can't…breathe…" I managed to get out.

"Sorry," she muttered. But she did let go.

"Well, who would've thought our baby sister could be so brave…" George said.

"Oh yes, brave enough to be with muggles for so long," Fred finished.

Ron started laughing uncontrollably, which made the rest of us laugh.

We spent the rest of the night in the Common Room playing Exploding Snap and Wizard Chess. It was fun. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed Hogwarts until I actually got back.


	2. The Quarter Quell

**A/N: So, this chapter is about two months later when they find out about the Quell. I don't remember how long it was in the book, but oh well. xD And Katniss's POV will be the same as in the book, so this one is just going to be Harry, Ginny, and Peeta. :)**

**Ugh, I haven't had time to work on this with homework and school and testing and a science project and the report for said project. But I'm done now, so hopefully I can get some more chapters up soon. :)**

Peeta

"Hey, come look at this," my brother called.

I walked over to him from the kitchen. He was standing in front of the television. Pictures of Katniss were up on the screen, picture of her in wedding dresses.

"So, I guess it's really gonna happen huh?" he asked, elbowing me.

"Guess so." I said. I'd always hoped it would…just not this way. Not having it all just an act for the

cameras.

He was about to turn the television off when something caught my eye. "Wait!" I said. He pulled his hand back.

President Snow was making an announcement. "As you all know, this year is a very special Hunger Games. The Quarter Quell."

I looked at my brother. His eyes were still fixed on the screen. "I wonder what will happen to those poor kids this year."

A kid came up with an old box. President Snow opened it slowly. He pulled out

an old, yellowed envelope and opened it up. "As a reminder to the Districts that even the strongest among them cannot overcome the power of the Capitol, the tributes will be reaped from their existed pool of victors."

Existing pool of victors…that means…Katniss is going back in the arena. And so am I. Before I could change my mind, I ran out the door and down the streets to the Victors Village. I wrenched open the door to Haymitch's house. He was slumped on the table, passed out.

"Haymitch. Haymitch!" As much as I knew I'd regret it, I did a Katniss. I threw some water on him.

I jumped back as he lashed out with his knife. "What do you want?"

I told him about the Quell. "I have to go back in. I have to save Katniss, keep

her alive."

He sat there a moment. "Fine." He didn't seem like he really wanted to let me volunteer for him, but he didn't argue.

"Thanks." And I just walked out.

"There." I put the empty bottles on the table.

"What did you do?" Katniss asked.

"Got rid of all the alcohol. We can't afford any drunkards on this team, especially not you Katniss!"

She turned to Haymitch. "I'll get you some more."

"You can't. I paid Ripper not to sell to you—either of you. And if she does, she'll probably get put in the stocks."

We decided to train. And hard. Katniss and I were doing pretty well, but Haymitch had more trouble. He could barely hit the side of the house with a knife from a foot away. Running just a bit winded him. I had expected this, though. He's wasn't exactly sixteen anymore, and all that drinking had to have some effect.

* * *

All too soon it was Reaping day. I don't even know why they bothered with us, they knew we'd be the ones to get picked.

This year, Effie had a hard time grabbing a slip from the bowl, even though she already knew who it was going to be. She called Katniss and she reluctantly walked up to the stage. She pulled the slip from the other bowl and called Haymitch's name. I volunteered immediately.

As I went up on the stage, Katniss looked like she was going to kill me. If me dying kept her alive, I would gladly let her kill me.

Ginny

At breakfast a kid came up to me and Harry with a note. I handed him a Galleon and opened the note.

"It's from Dumbledore," I said.

"What does want?" Harry asked.

"It says: _Harry and Ginny, come to my office at once. There is something you must see. It concerns the next Games._"

"Blimey. Can I have the rest of your food, then?" Ron asked.

"Ron!" Hermione snapped.

"Sorry." He didn't look the least bit sorry.

"Well, I guess we'd better go then," Harry said.

We said goodbye and headed up to Dumbledore's office. He was looking at an old television. The President of Panem was there. He pulled something out the box and began to read.

"As a reminder to the Districts that even the strongest among them cannot overcome the power of the Capitol, the tributes will be reaped from their existed pool of victors."

I grabbed Harry's arm to make sure I wouldn't fall over. Except he didn't seem much more stable. We would be going back into the arena. I was going to collapse. I just knew it. My legs would give out, and I'd end up sobbing on the floor. And I was right. Dumbledore had left room, being the insensitive person he was.

Harry slumped down next to me. He ran his hands through his hair. "What are the odds that one of us is gonna make it out of there this time?"

I wiped my eyes with my robes. "Not very good, considering we were close to not making it out the first time."

He sighed. How long we stayed like that, I don't know.

"Well, we've at least got a while. It's only June. The Reaping isn't until October."

"Doesn't seem like all _that _long. Four months. That's all we've got."

We sat there for another minute, until he got up. He grabbed my hand and pulled me up. I was sure as hell going to make those next four months count for something.

Harry

My knees shook, and I had to brace myself on the wall. Ginny grabbed my arm, and I was afraid she was going to pull both of us down on the floor. Dumbledore left, which didn't help at all. We were going to die, and he just left us there. I wondered what his reason would be. 'To let you process it,' maybe. Ugh. The best intentions—okay, sometimes—but done in the wrong way.

Ginny let go of my arm and hit the ground. I slumped down next to her and leaned on the wall.

Looks like the Ministry was going to get their wish after all. I'd probably be killed, and then the lucky Ministry will no longer have to deal with "The Boy Who Lived."

I glanced at Ginny. I sighed and ran my finger through my hair. "What are the odds that one of us is gonna make it out of there this time?"

She dried her eyes on her robes. "Not very good, considering we were close to not making it out the first time."

I sighed. We just sat there for a while. It could've been minutes, or maybe even hours.

"Well, we've at least got a while. It's only June. The Reaping isn't until October," I said hopefully.

"Doesn't seem like all _that_ long. Four months. That's all we've got."

We sat there for another minute or two. I forced myself to get up. I put out my hand out for her, and she grabbed it. I pulled her up, and held her close. She'd started crying again. I'd never seen her like this, although knowing you're going to die would make you crack.

We didn't show up to our class the rest of the day. Her classes were just reviewing, which she could easily do in the Common Room, and I just wasn't up to having to actually learn, when I could barely focus on my game of Exploding Snap with Fred.

"So, are you coming to the Burrow, this summer or not?" Ginny surprised me.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Gin," Fred said. "With you two sneaking off all time here, who knows what kind of trouble you'd get up to at home."

I looked at Ginny. Her face was as red as her hair. "Haha, Fred. We've been on official _victor _business, thank you very much." She stuck her tongue out at him. She looked back at me.

I must've turned bright red. "I-I-I don't know. I'll probably go with the Dursleys for a bit, then go there? I dunno."

Blimey, the fifth years and seventh years were taking their exams tomorrow, then the term would end Friday, and I still had no clue what I would do.

I probably was going to just go to the Dursleys, even if just for a couple days, then go the Burrow. It was always fun making Dudley squirm. Oh, if only they knew I'd almost died. How dissapointed they would be! Couldn't I have just died, so they wouldn't have to deal with me? Ha.

* * *

"How did your exams go, Gin?" Ron asked, stuffing his face with pasties.

Ginny turned her head away from the window. "Wha? Oh...fine, I guess. I'm not so sure about potions, though."

"If you're worried, you probably didn't do well. Or maybe you did. At least you got Slughorn instead of Snape," I said.

"Yeah, I guess. He didn't make Dark Arts any better, though."

"Still, he's better than Quirrel, or Lockhart though." Hermione said, not even glancing up from her book.

Ron smirked. "I thought you had a _thing_ for Lockhart, with the hair and the lilac and the fakeness."

She turned red. "I did not have a _thing _for Lockhart!" She protested. But I heard her mutter "Once I realized how much of a faking idiot he was," under her breath.

Ginny snorted. "So, are you going to come to the Burrow this summer?"

Ron perked up. "Yeah, are you going to come for the wedding?"

"What wedding?" Hermione and I asked at the same time.

Ginny reached over and smacked Ron on the arm. "Ron!" She snapped. "Mum told us not to tell until we know for certain when it is."

"Sorry," he muttered.

"Who's wedding is it though?" I asked.

"Bill and Fleur's." Ginny said.

"Fleur," Ron said dreamily.

This time it was Hermione who smacked him, except this time upside the head. "Ron! She's marrying your _brother _for Merlin's sake!"

He didn't reply.

"But, are you coming Mione?" Ginny asked again.

"Sure, I'd love to."

Ginny smiled. "Good."

Right then we pulled up to Platform 9 3/4.

The Dursleys were waiting outside the station in their car. Reluctantly, I got in. Dudley kept trying to poke Hedwig, who was in her cage on my lap. I smirked when she bit his finger.

"Aww, my poor Duddykins," Aunt Petunia said.

"Keep that bird of yours under control," Uncle Vernon said, steering the car to side of the road so fast, I thought for sure he'd hit another a car.

All I'm going to say about the rest of my time with the Dursleys (which was blissfully short), was it was basically hell.

Except when Hedwig decided to land on Dudley's head, which sent him running and screaming. We were just sitting there eating, and Hedwig suddenly swooped in through the window. She dropped a letter in front of me, then landed on Dudley's head. It was hilarious to watch him swat at her, scream, then run around in circles trying to get her off. Smart little Hedwig just flew up a little bit to avoid his hands, then went back down. I finally had to go get her off him.

I grabbed my letter and went upstairs to avoid getting killed by Uncle Vernon. I opened the letter from Ron.

_Harry,_

_Fred and George will be there on Thursday to pick you up. Be ready. Who knows what they can do._

_Ron_

Oh God. Not Fred and George. Anyone but them! And it was already Wednesday, so even if I wrote a letter, Hedwig wouldn't be able to deliver before then. Especially not when she was tired.

And of course, when Fred and George show up, all hell breaks loose. And I have a feeling the Ton-Tongue-Toffee they "accidentally" dropped, wasn't really an accident. Although it was funny seeing Dudley with his tongue hanging out of his mouth.

Once we got back to the Burrow, Charlie pulled me aside. _Oh God. _I thought. _What's going on?_

I should've known. Protective older brothers, that's what was going on.

"If you do anything with my sister, I swear, I _will _kill you." Oh. My. God. "If you're both missing for even one second, Potter..."

"Whoa. Charlie. Charlie. Stop. I swear. I would never..." Well...this just got awkward.

"You'd better not. I've got my eye on you."

Damn. One of the first times I've ever had a conversation with Charlie, and it was that? Wow.

When I walked in, Ginny came up to me. "Giving you a hard time?" she whispered.

"Very hard," I said.

She rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm glad you're here. Mum's been obsessing over me since I got here. Best of intentions, but she's going about it in the wrong way."

"Do they know? About...you know?"

She shook her head. "I can't tell them. I dunno how. Ugh why can't I just say 'Mum, Dad, I'm probably going to die in a couple of months, so what's for dinner?"

I laughed a little bit.

"'Arry!" I heard someone say. Of course. Fleur was here, too. "Eet iz zo nice to see you."

"Uh, hey Fleur."

"Wedding's on Monday," Ginny whispered.

Okay, that information helped a bit. "So, big day coming soon huh?" I said,

"Oh, yes. Very beeg."

Awkwardness ensued for the rest of the day. Sometimes I'd just spout random sentences that had nothing to do with the conversation. There was a lot of silence after I did that.

Monday came quickly. I was down in the kitchen when Ginny walked up. She turned her back toward me.

"Can you zip me up?"

She pulled her hair out of the way. Oh, she was just trying to get me in trouble wasn't she? I struggled with the zipper for a minute.

"There," I said.

"Thank you," She said.

She turned toward me. Before I could even blink she kissed me.

In a moment, I heard someone say, "Morning." I jumped a little bit. Of course. George.

Ginny smiled. "Morning." And she just walked off.

That girl would be the death of me.

"Um," I said. Oh yes, I'm very good at talking.

He just grinned and shook his head. "Oh, wait until Charlie hears about this. And Bill."

"Oh God. Please no. Just...no."

"Relax, Harry. I'm not really going to tell anyone."

Hallelujah.

The wedding was simple enough. Although so many Weasleys and Delacours under the tent was kind of uncomfortable for me. Fleur's sister Gabrielle came up to me. She said she'd always wanted to meet me. It was sweet.

I pulled Ginny away from someone.

"Harry, thank God. Aunt Muriel is such a pain." She rolled her eyes.

"Really?"

"Yes! She keeps going on about how I'm not a 'proper lady' and that my dress is too short."

"It's not too short for me," I smirked. Her reaction was going to be funny.

She turned bright red. "Harry," she warned.

"Kidding!" I laughed.

She rolled her eyes. "Now, why did you really bring me over here?"

Truth was, I didn't know. I guess I felt kind of lost there with so many people I didn't know.

I just shrugged. "I dunno. But, do you want to dance?" Even though I couldn't dance to save my life.

"Um, sure."

We danced and ate, and tried to stay as far from the drunk family members as possible, for the rest of the night.

* * *

I grabbed Ginny's hand. I had no idea what would happen with the other houses, since they had no victors, but right then I was too busy worrying about how I'd be able to survive another day in the arena.

The Goblet was wheeled out. Dumbledore held out his hand and two small pieces of parchment flew out of the fire. I don't know why they bothered with the theatrics, we already knew the two people who were unlucky enough to have their names on the parchment. Me and Ginny, of course.

He called out our names, and we went back into the room we had been directed into before our first Games. Except this time, Dumbledore came in immediately. He pulled a quill out of his robes and held it toward us.

"This is the Portkey," he said. Huh. Maybe he was out of old boots again.

"But, don't we get to, you know...say goodbye? Like last time?"

"Not this time," he said.

I looked at Ginny. She looked upset-or maybe just angry-at not being able to say goodbye to anyone. I admit, I was kind of disappointed. We aren't even allowed to say goodbye, when we're heading to our certain death? That's just bloody unfair.

Reluctantly, we grabbed onto the quill.

**A/N: Okay, I know Peeta's POV seems to go super fast, and Ginny's is kind of short...but I couldn't think of what else I could tell from their POV's. :T**


	3. The Tribute Parade

**A/N: I actually had a lot of fun writing this one. Especially the end of Harry's POV. xD The computer was being a piece of crap, and deleted half of it. Dx So, I had to retype it. **

Peeta 

We were immediately ushered into cars to take us to the Justice Building. We were headed to our imminent death, yet we weren't allowed to say goodbye? Stupid. Which pretty much sums up the Capitol. But I would never say that out loud. We were in enough trouble as it was. **  
**

In the train, Katniss and I immediately headed our separate ways. I could tell she wasn't happy with me volunteering. Not happy at all. But I couldn't let her go into the Games with Haymitch. They'd both be dead in a matter of days.

I had no idea what to do with my spare time until dinner. I wandered around the train, trying to find something to do. I ended up in the car where Effie had put the tapes of the old Hunger Games. I turned on the television to see who had gotten Reaped.

A vicious looking pair of siblings from District 1, Gloss and Cashmere. Brutus and Enobaria from 2. Wiress and Beetee from 3. Ah, the legendary Finnick Odair from 4. One of the youngest victors. A young woman, Annie Cresta, was chosen from 4, too but an older woman, Mags, took her place. Interesting. Johanna Mason and Blight from 7. Woof and Cecelia from 8. Chaff and Seeder from 11. And of course, Katniss, and then me stepping up to take Haymitch's place.

I looked through the box, trying to find the tapes for the victors who were Reaped. Watching one more time wouldn't hurt. It would actually help, I could better know some of their strategies.

Kill. After kill. After kill. Every time someone was hit with a weapon, it was as though I could feel it. If someone got hit the leg, I instantly remembered the wound on my leg, the blood poisoning, and I would rub that part of my leg without even knowing it.

I didn't even realize how long I'd been in there until Katniss came in.

She came in and just sat down on top of me. "You missed dinner."

"Oh...I did?" Oh. I did apparently. I looked out the window. Sure enough, it was completely dark outside. Dinner was long gone.

She nodded. "You're watching these again?"

"Yeah. I just want to see their strategies. Could be useful."

She didn't say anything, but she put her head on my shoulder. It was nice, and I wished it was under better circumstances.

A server came in carrying a tray. He put it down on the table next to the couch. "Milk. I-I added some spices, cinnamon and-"

"Thank you." Katniss said.

He backed out of the room. Katniss and I just sat there for a while, watching the Games and sipping our spiced milk.

"There's still this one we haven't watched," Katniss said, pulling out the tape. She gasped. "It's the second Quell. When Haymitch won."

"Should we watch it?" I asked. Haymitch probably wouldn't want us to, but he wasn't there.

"Guess so."

He was pretty intimidating at his interview. If I'd been alive and old enough back then, I would've put my money on him. That arena looked picture-perfect, but everything in it was deadly. The water in the lake and streams would kill as soon as the water hit your tongue. Sniff too close to a flower and you're dead. Everything you thing is normal is exactly the opposite. The only thing the tributes could rely on was rain, supplies from the cornucopia, _some _of the wild animals, and the rain. Not much when you consider how many tributes there were. 48 tributes competing in one small arena is not pretty. There was hardly a minute without something going on. Haymitch was deadly, killing anyone and everyone in his way. Until he teamed up with Maysilee Donner. Although the alliance didn't last long. Not long after they split up, Maysilee was killed by a flock of candy colored birds. In the end it was Haymitch and a girl from District 7. They were both seriously injured. But he found a way to use the force field against her. When she threw her axe, it came flying back, and hit her.

Just as the trumpets blared, signaling his victory, I heard someone say, "Having fun?"

"Haymitch!" Katniss jumped.

"I lost my family. My girl. Because of the stupid stunt I pulled with that force field." He actually sounded kind of sad. Maybe if she'd lived he wouldn't be drunk all the time, and maybe he'd actually be happy. Maybe. Or maybe he'd still have ended up where he was.

He left the room again, before either of us could say anything. Katniss got up.

"We should get some sleep," she mumbled.

"Yeah."

But I couldn't sleep. Too many worries and thoughts running through my head. Then I heard her screaming. I'd gotten pretty used to it on the Victory Tour. I slipped out of bed and went down the hall to her compartment. She was thrashing around in her bed, tangling herself in the blanket. I gently touched her shoulder and she flinched. Her eyes widened, but she relaxed when she saw it was me.

"Peeta," She whispered.

"You were screaming. More nightmares?"

She sighed. "Always."

She scooted back in the bed to make room. I straightened out the blanket and crawled under it next to her. I wrapped my arms around her, and in no time she was asleep. I liked this. I liked to watch her sleep. She didn't scowl.

When her prep team came in in the morning, they practically flooded the place with crying. They seemed geniunely upset that we were going back into the arena.

I went back to my compartment, where I found my team waiting outside the door.

* * *

A ton of pain and three hours later, I was sitting there waiting for Portia to come in.

"Peeta," she smiled. "It's great to see you again. If only it were under more, ah, pleasant cirumstances."

"Yeah. More pleasant would be good."

She laughed a little, but it was forced. She pulled out the costume for me to see.

"Once you're on the chariot, and you're almost out of the building, turn it on by pressing the button right here." She pointed to the button on the inside of the left wrist. "Don't press it too early though, wouldn't want to kill the battery pack."

I nodded. Once I was in the costume, she dimmed the lights and turned it on so I could see. The flames looks so real. Like if you touched it, you'd burn your finger. I turned it off, and she turned the lights back up.

"Good luck, Peeta. You've already won them over, just follow through with that. Make them _love _you."

"Thanks, Portia."

When I got down to the chariot, Katniss wasn't there. So, I decided to get to know the competition.

"You're Johanna Mason, aren't you?" I asked.

The girl in the tree costume glared at me. "Why the hell do you care?"

"I'm Peeta."

"Ah, the runt from District 12. I still don't understand how you won."

Ouch. I decided I didn't really like Johanna. "I guess I'll be going then."

"Hey, wait. I know, I'm well...I'm a bitch sometimes. But good luck. You'll need it."

"Uh, thanks...I guess." I turned around and walked back to the District 12 chariot. Katniss still wasn't there.

"Hey, Peeta," someone called.

I looked up. "Oh. Hey Harry!"

"Hey! Katniss not here yet?"

"Nah." Then I noticed Ginny wasn't there either. I was beginning to think Katniss and Ginny were hanging out together or something.

Harry and I started talking, waiting for Katniss and Ginny. Our lives were pretty uninteresting, though. The most that had happened to him was going to Ginny's brother's wedding. I'd had nothing that interesting. Painting. That was pretty much it.

I walked back to the chariot. Katniss was standing by the horses and looking very uncomfortable. And then I saw why. Finnick Odair. He glanced over at me and walked away.

"What was that all about?" I asked.

She got really close to me and put her lips next to my ear. "Finnick Odair offered me sugar cubes, and wanted to know all my secrets."

I snorted. "Ugh, not really?"

She shuddered. "I'll tell you as soon as my skin stops crawling."

We got on our chariot. As we were rolling out, I grabbed Katniss's hand. She smiled.

Harry

The Capitol was no more pleasant the second time around. In fact, I think it was worse. Prep was much worse. Much, much worse. One word I can describe it with: Hellish. Once the team left, I was red and sore and several inches of my hair had been cut off. I had put up a fight with that one, but I lost. Of course.

The costume this year was better than before, at least. A red body suit-again-but this time, lion cape complete with lion paws around the front to tie it on and a hood that looked like a lion head, and even a scepter-thing with a lion head on top. Oh, and the lion head had a light in the mouth. Lion was the theme apparently. But all in all, it didn't look too bad.

I was one of the last tributes down, but Ginny wasn't there yet. I looked over at the chariot in front of ours. Katniss wasn't there either. God, they always seemed to be gone at the same time.

"Hey, Peeta," I called.

"Oh. Hey Harry!" At least he was friendly.

"Hey! Katniss not here yet?" No duh, stupid. You just looked.

"Nah."

And while we were waiting for Katniss and Ginny we started talking.

"So...anything interesting happened to you?" Peeta asked.

"I went to Ginny's brother's wedding. That's it. Pretty boring actually."

"Ah. I've hardly been doing anything. Just painting."

"Painting?"

"Oh, yeah. My parents own the bakery, and I used to do the cakes. And now that I can afford real paint, that's one of the only thing I do."

"Oh." Okay, then.

"Hey, I'd better go," he said.

"Good luck not falling!"

He laughed a little.

"Hey Harry," Ginny said.

I jumped. "Whoa! Hey, uh, hey Ginny."

She laughed. "Didn't see me huh?"

"Ummm...okay, no I didn't."

She tried not to laugh. "Maybe I'll walk louder, like this." She stomped her feet.

"Yeah, maybe that would help."

We got onto our chariot. I grabbed her hand, and she smiled at me. The chariot rolled out in a minute. I glanced up at the screens. They were focused on us and the District 12 chariot. I was focusing on their chariot, too. Kind of hard not to, when they were the brightest things there and it was getting dark.

People were calling out all different names, but most often it was Katniss Peeta, since they were pretty much the only ones they could still see. Although, occasionally I heard my and Ginny's name being called. I could barely see Ginny even when she was standing next to me.

I shined my light on her face. "Found you," I joked.

She turned her light at me. "I know, it's so dark."

I laughed. Once we were back in the building, we practically fell off the chariot. The chariot stopped suddenly, and Ginny and I both were almost knocked off. But thankfully we managed to stay on.

Of course, Katniss, Peeta, Ginny, and I all ended up in the same elevator.

"Some Quell twist, huh?" I heard Katniss grumble.

"Yep." I said.

I could almost feel her glaring at me.

The elevator stopped on their floor, and they got out. "See you guys at training, I guess." Peeta said.

"Yeah," Ginny and I agreed.

When we got to our rooms, I didn't really want to go in. I hadn't been able to spend much time with her at school, and she was dragged away practically every minute by her family during the summer. I was probably going to die soon, and most of the time was going to be taken up with training.

"Hey, Gin?"

She had hesitated at her door, too. "Yeah?" She let go of the handle and walked over to me.

"This might sound stupid, but-"

"I know." she interrupted. She opened the door to my room and walked in. Once she was in, she smiled sweetly and said "You coming?"

Oh God, that girl really _would _be the death of me. Unless the arena got to me first.

Ginny

I swear, the crap we go through with the stupid prep teams and stylists, is torture enough in itself. Plucking, and waxing, and the nasty baths, and the nails, and the makeup, and the clothes. Ugh. At least this costume was good. The light would be handy when it got dark, too.

Apparently, I needed "extra work." And when they said that I was seriously wishing I had my wand, so I could give them particularly nasty hexes or charms, something to shut them up. A ton tongue toffee would've been good, too.

I'd been there a few hours, and I already wanted to go home. I gotta admit, I missed my mum and dad, and Bill and Charlie, Fred and George, Ron, and even Percy. And if I thought the arena was bad the first time, pft, going back was going to be hell. Did mum and dad even know? I expected they did, surely Ron had told them? Or Hermione? God, I hoped they did. They'd be panicked if they didn't know, and I didn't answer any of their owls.

After three of four hours, I was good to go. I knew the tribute parade was going to start pretty soon, and I wasn't even down there yet. Harry was there already.

I snuck up behind him. "Hey Harry," I said.

He jumped. "Whoa! Hey, uh, hey Ginny."

I laughed. It was always funny when I managed to surprise him. "Didn't see me huh?"

"Ummm...okay, no I didn't."

I was trying not to laugh, but it wasn't too easy. "Maybe I'll walk louder, like this." I stomped my feet as loud as I could.

"Yeah, maybe that would help."

We got onto the chariot. He grabbed my hand and I smiled. After a minute our chariot went out. Ours was the last, since we were the only ones from Hogwarts.

My eyes almost immediately fixated on Katniss and Peeta. The light was so bright, it was hard not to. The cameras definitely seemed to think so. Although, it occasionally focused on the other tributes, and Harry and I.

Harry shined his light in my face. "Found you."

I turned my light on him. "I know, it's so dark."

He laughed.

Once we got into the building, we almost got killed from falling off the chariot. Just what I'd been afraid of. Thankfully, we managed to grab onto the sides and keep falling off.

Once we were in the elevator, I realized Katniss and Peeta were there too. Of course. Weren't they always?

"Some Quell twist, huh?" Katniss grumbled.

"Yep." Harry agreed.

I glanced back at her. She was glaring at him. I don't know why she hated him so much, but he didn't exactly like her either.

The elevator stopped on their floor, and they got out. "See you guys at training, I guess." Peeta said.

"Yeah," Harry and I agreed.

When we got to our rooms, I hesitated at my door. I looked at Harry. He'd waited too.

"Hey, Gin?"

I knew what he was going to say. "Yeah?" I let go of my door handle and walked over to him.

"This might sound stupid, but-"

"I know." I interrupted. I opened the door and walked in. When he didn't follow, I turned and smiled at him. "You coming?"

He tilted his head back a little, like he was trying not to laugh. "I'm glad you're brothers aren't here. If they heard you say that, they'd take it the entirely wrong way, and I'd be dead long before I got to the arena."

I laughed. "Yeah, they'd probably team up to do it."

We both started laughing uncontrollably, and when we finally calmed down, he said, "We've got training tomorrow, we should sleep."

I held back a yawn. "Yeah."

I wasn't quite ready though. The sooner we went to sleep meant the sooner we had to get up and face training, which meant the sooner we had to go back into the arena.


	4. The Training Center Part 1

**A/N: One thing: Review. Please. I loove reviews and they definitely make me wanna write more. **

**Finally finished. I was going to keep writing and make Peeta and Harry and Ginny's POVs all in one chapter but it would be suuper long. And it would probably take another month to write it all. xD So part 2 is gonna have their POVs. **

Peeta

I grabbed the first the clothes I saw in the drawer. Once I was dressed, I went to see if Haymitch or Katniss or somebody was up. Haymitch was sitting there picking at a muffin, but Katniss wasn't there yet. I filled my plate and sat down to wait for her.

"You got a job to do today," he said.

"What?" I was confused.

"Make friends with the other victors, make them want to be your allies."

"No. I don't trust them, or like them, even."

"Their skills are far greater than yours, and they've had more experience. You'd do well to have any of them on your team."

I thought about it for a minute. It was true, he was right, even if I didn't want to admit it. "Fine."

After a while, Haymitch went to get her. He was angry. I could hear him yelling at her to get her in here NOW! In a moment, he came back in and sat down. And Katniss came in a few minutes later. Once she'd loaded her plate and sat down Haymitch started talking.

"You're late," he said.

"Sorry," she apologized. But she didn't seem the least bit sincere. Hostile, even. "I slept in after the mutilated-tongue nightmares kept me up half the night."

He scowled, then gave in. "All right, never mind. Today, in training, you've got two jobs. One, stay in love."

Katniss snorted. "Obviously."

"And two, make some friends."

"No." Katniss objected immediately. "I don't trust any of them, I can't stand most of them, and I'd rather operate with just the two of us."

"That's what I said at first, but-" I began.

"But it won't be enough, Haymitch insisted. "You're going to need more allies this time around."

"Why?" She asked, clearly not buying it.

"Because you're at a distinct disadvantage. Your competitors have known each other for years. So who do you think they're going to target first?" He said. He did have a point.

"Us. And nothing we're going to do is going to override any old friendship. So why bother?"

"Because you can fight. You're popular with the crowd. That could still make you desirable allies. But only if you let the others know you're willing to team up with them."

"You mean you want us in the Career pack this year?" She asked, obviously repulsed by the idea. I wouldn't be too thrilled with it either, considering my experience with the careers last year.

"That's been our strategy, hasn't it? To train like careers?" he countered. It was like watching a game, back and forth, back and forth. My head felt like it was going to fall off. "And who makes up the careers pack is generally agreed upon before the Games begin. Peeta barely got in with them last year." Without thinking I reached down and rubbed the spot where the artificial leg was attached to my real one, my awful reminder of my time in the careers.

"So, we're trying to get in with Finnick and Brutus-is that what you're saying?"

"Not nessesarily. Everyone's a victor. Make your own pack if you'd rather. Choose who you like. I'd suggest Chaff and Seeder. Although Finnick's not to be ignored. Find someone to team up with who might be of some use to you. Remember, you're not in a ring full of trembling children anymore. These people are all experienced killers, no matter what shape they appear to be in," he said. He was good at proving a point. Well, sometimes. But that was one of them.

She took a minute to decide, picking at her food, her appetite clearly gone. "I'll try."

Effie showed up a little early to take us down to the Training Center. But Haymitch tells her he doesn't want her taking us down. None of the other victors were going to have escorts, and as some of the youngest, it was even more important we appeared self-reliant. So she settled herself with fussing about our hair, and pressing the elevator button for us.

As the doors closed, I grabbed Katniss's hand. We had to appear as an inseperable team.

Turns out, Effie didn't have to worry about us being the last there. Only Brutus and Enobaria were there. And by 10 o' clock, only half of the half of the tributes had shown up, along with Ginny and Harry. Good. Less people means we don't have to spend as much effort trying to make friends.

I immediately went to the sword-fighting area, which I definitely needed practice in. Harry was already there, choosing a sword, along with a few others. He was talking to them a little bit, but it was clear he was uncomfortable.

"Hey," I said.

"Thank God," I heard him mutter. "Hey, Peet."

Well, that was new. "Don't call me that. Please."

He nudged me. "I was joking. Lighten up."

I rolled my eyes. "Just hand me a sword." He chuckled and handed one to me.

My attempt was pathetic. I barely made a dent on the dummy, except one time I tripped a little bit, and I swung the sword into it, trying to keep from falling. I hoped nobody saw. No such luck. Harry, Chaff, Brutus, and Cashmere saw me. And they laughed. Hard. But, then again, I laughed too. I was so bad it was funny.

Knives. Well, knives were more my style. It was just like a small extension of my arm. And since I was good at hand-to-hand combat, it wasn't that difficult. Once I was sure I'd thoroughly killed that dummy, I went to the knot station.

I'd seen Katniss there, earlier, but she had moved on to the fire-making station. I was just finishing a particularly complicated knot when they called for lunch.

I tagged along with a group of some of the other victors. I slipped into their conversation, and no one even cared, they just kept on talking as if I was an old friend. I hardly even knew them.

When some of them started pulling the tables together, I spotted Katniss. I went over to her. "How's it going?" I asked.

"Good. Fine. I like the District Three victors," she said. "Wiress and Beetee."

"Really? They're something of a joke to the others." They'd gotten around to talking about them while I was in that group.

"Why does that not surprise me?"

"Johanna's nicknamed them Nuts and Volts. I think she's Nuts and he's Volts."

"And so I'm stupid for thinking they might be useful. Because of something Johanna Mason said while she was oiling herself for wrestling."

"Actually," I said. "I think the nickname's been around for years. And I didn't mean that as an insult. I'm just sharing information."

"Well, Wiress and Beetee are smart. They invent things. They could tell by sight that a force field had been put up between us and the Gamemakers. And if we have to have allies, I want them."

Just then Ginny walked up. I didn't pay much attention to her though. "What are you so angry about?" I asked Katniss.

"Ugh. Forget it. It's a lot of things."

"Darius."

"Darius. The Games. Haymitch making us team up with the others."

"We don't have to team up with anyone, you know."

"I know, but maybe Haymitch is right-"

"I honestly have no idea what you guys are talking about, but you're blocking this whole station," Ginny said, reminding us she was there. And it was true, we were blocking that cart.

"Sorry," Katniss said. She gave me a look like _We'll talk later. _She turned and walked away to the table.

"What was that all about?" Ginny asked.

I shrugged. "She's not happy about the Games and everything."

"Yeah, I heard that part. So, you guys having trouble in paradise? Wow."

I sighed. "It's far from paradise."

I mumbled it, but she still heard. "Wow, the way you two acted on the tour, I'd have thought you guys were a match made in heaven."

I rolled my eyes. "I don't know about that." I walked over to the table to sit by Katniss, and Ginny followed.

"Hi, Katniss," Ginny said.

"Hi," she grumbled without even looking up.

"Wow, you seem so...depressed," Ginny said glancing at me. I just shrugged.

"This is stupid. We shouldn't have to make allies," Katniss said, ignoring Ginny completely.

"I told you, it could just be you and me, and you know that."

"Know what?" Harry asked plopping down onto the bench next to Ginny.

"Ugh. This table is getting so crowded." She, Harry, Ginny, and I were the only ones at that end. Everyone else was at the other end talking and laughing.

I grabbed Katniss's arm and pulled her away. "What's _wrong _with you?"

"What's wrong with _me_? Everything! That's what wrong!" She was yelling and I could just feel people staring.

"Well...just..." I didn't know what to say. What could I say? "Look, Katniss, you have to calm down."

She looked at me for a minute, then took a deep breath. "Okay."

"Now, what's wrong?" Even though she already told me, I knew that wasn't all of it.

"I..." She glanced back. Only a few were staring at us, now. "I'll tell you later. Not here. Not now."

Ugh. "Fine. Later then. And be nice to Harry and Ginny. I think you're kind of freaking them out-well, Ginny at least-when you're acting so depressed."

She frowned. "I'm not promising anything."

I rolled my eyes, and we walked back to the table. Harry was just staring at his bowl, but Ginny was looking at Katniss with concern.

"You okay?" She asked.

Katniss simply nodded. "Yeah. I'm okay. Sorry about...that."

Ginny shrugged and just went back to eating, but I could see her elbow Harry. He jumped and spilled some soup on his shirt.

"Okay. Ow!" He said, grabbing a napkin to wipe off the hot soup.

Katniss laughed. Harry just glared at her. I wanted to elbow _her _to get her to stop laughing. I knew she didn't like him, but that just seemed a little cruel.

"So, uh..." Harry had no clue what to say, and it was obvious.

The silence was awkward. None of us really knew what to say. It was strange, we'd been in the Games together, but we hardly knew a thing about each other.

"So, um, what do you think of the Capitol?" I asked. Stupid question. But it was the first thing that popped into my head.

"It's okay," Ginny said, glancing up.

"Hm. So, uh..." This was a disaster.

"Do either of you have any pets or something?" Ginny asked. It was clear she was as uncomfortable with the silence as I was.

"Yeah," Katniss finally spoke up. "My sister has a cat and a goat."

"Nice. Our friend Hermione has a cat."

"Looks like he ran his face into a wall, though," Harry snorted.

"Oh yeah? Buttercup looks the same way. I don't really like him, but Prim _adores_ him."

Harry laughed. "Yeah, at first Ron-my friend, her brother-was appalled that she bought the thing. Tried to eat his rat."

Katniss laughed a little. It was nice to see she was at least making an effort.

"So," Ginny said. "Katniss, d'you mind if I tag along in training later? You can say no, it's okay." She added the last part quickly.

"Sure." Well then.

We finished eating and went back to the training stations. We had to wait a minute though, because the instructors were talking to the Gamemakers. Katniss and Ginny went to the archery station, and I headed to the camouflage station.

The morphlings were there painting little blue and white swirls all over their arms and faces. Even with their shaky hands-from the morhpling withdrawl-it looked good. They smiled when they saw me coming over. The female grabbed my hand and painted a little flower on it. Wow. I didn't even say anything and it seemed like she was my friend. For a few minutes we just were painting flowers on ourselves and each other, but then I happened to look over at the archery station.

Katniss and Ginny were taking turnes shooting at the fake birds the instructor threw up into the air. It didn't look like he could throw enough of them, with two great archers there. Only six or seven went up and they got them all in a few seconds. Katniss smiled and looked at me. Everyone was silent, staring at her and Ginny. Looked like everyone wanted to be allies with them. Even me.

I spent the rest of the afternoon rotating around the stations, occasionally bumping into Harry or Ginny or Katniss.

And once the training was finished the four of us walked out together.

"Everyone is telling their mentors to request you as an ally. What did you do in there?" Haymitch asked as we got to the elevator.

"They saw her shoot," I said, grinning. "In fact, I'm about to put in a formal request myself."

"Even I was going to," Harry said.

"You're that good?"

She shrugged. "It was nothing."

"Even Chaff wants you."

"I don't want him. I want District three and Mags."

Haymitch sighed. "Of course you do."

The rest of the ride up to our floor was pretty quiet. Only Ginny was trying to keep up any sort of conversation. But when she only got a "yes" or a "no" she gave up. The elevator doors opened. Katniss and I stepped out, Haymitch following right behind us breathing his alcohol-breath on our necks. Gross. I wished I'd let him go first.

During dinner Effie chatted non-stop, not even caring that none of us were paying attention. Katniss looked ready to snap. I was close to saying something, myself. Thankfully, I started getting full, so I excused myself and went back to my room.

I wasn't a bit tired, so I wasn't sure what to do. I ended up just taking a shower and then lying in bed staring at the ceiling. If I slept, I'd have nightmares. If I stayed up, I'd probably fall asleep during training and impale myself on an axe or something. Either way, it was going to be a long night.

**A/N: Okay, sorry it's been so long since I've updated. There's so much stuff going on right now and I haven't had time to write much. But now I'm out of school, so I'll try to get chapters posted faster. :)**


	5. The Training Center Part 2

**A/N: Oh my god I've been so busy. Dx I was originally going to do boyh Ginny's and Harry's POVs in this one, but having pretty much the same things restated three times just slightly different would get very boring. Haha.**

Ginny

Dumbledore was no help-as usual. He hadn't even bothered to come and have breakfast. Pathetic. He was getting on my last nerve. I mean, sure, we'd been through training and all that stuff before, but he hadn't been much help _then _either.

"Hey, Gin," Harry mumbled, still looking half-asleep.

"Hey."

He loaded a plate and sat down next to me. "I h-h-hate training," he said through a yawn.

"All of them are older than us, but it's been longer since they were in the Games. Maybe they don't remember how to fight?" I wasn't sure if I was trying to persuade him or me. Of course they wouldn't forget. They wouldn't forget something like that, it would stick forever.

He shrugged. "I dunno."

When he had finished, he asked me "What time is it?"

I looked at the clock. "Damn! It's already nine forty-five. We'd better get down there."

I grabbed his hand as we got out of the elevator. Only a few had actually bothered showing up, about half.

"Hey Katniss," I said.

"Hi Ginny." She sounded...kind of sad.

I was going to say something, but just then the doors opened and she disappeared inside. I rolled my eyes.

I looked around a moment, trying to figure out what to do first. Harry muttered something about swords and he went off. I finally decided on the hand-to-hand combat. I was awful. I kept getting knocked down by the assistant I was practicing with. Over. And over. And over. I was sore by the time I gave up.

I had just gone to the knife throwing station when they called for lunch. I hadn't realized just how much time I'd spent on the hand-to-hand combat. I put the knife back down.

I went over to where Peeta and Katniss were standing by one of the carts. It seemed like they were arguing over something.

"Ugh. Forget it. It's a lot of things," I heard Katniss say.

"Darius," Peeta said.

"Darius. The Games. Haymitch making us team up with the others."

"We don't have to team up with anyone, you know."

"I know, but maybe Haymitch is right-"

"I honestly have no idea what you guys are talking about, but you're blocking this whole station," I said, making my presence known.

"Sorry," Katniss said. She looked at Peeta one last time,then turned and walked away to the table.

"What was that all about?" I asked Peeta.

He shrugged, and I could've sworn he'd sighed. "She's not happy about the Games and everything."

"Yeah, I heard that part. So, you guys having trouble in paradise? Wow." The way they couldn't keep their hands off each other on the tour reminded me of Ron and Lavender.

He sighed. "It's far from paradise."

I barely caught the mumble. "Wow, the way you two acted on the tour, I'd have thought you guys were a match made in heaven."

He rolled his eyes. "I don't know about that." He turned away, to go find Katniss I figured. I sighed and grabbed another sandwich.

"Hi, Katniss," I said, having followed Peeta.

"Hi," she grumbled without even looking up at me. It kind of looked like she was scowling at her plate, like she was angry at it.

"Wow, you seem so...depressed," I blurted, glancing up at Peeta.

"This is stupid. We shouldn't have to make allies," Katniss said, completely ignoring that I was there.

"I told you, it could just be you and me, and you know that," Peeta said quietly.

"Know what?" Harry asked plopping down onto the bench next to me.

"Ugh. This table is getting so crowded." Even though she, Harry, Peeta, and I were the only ones at that end of the table. I had a sudden urge to smack her. Or hex her. Something.

Peeta grabbed Katniss's arm and pulled her away. "What's _wrong _with you?" I barely heard him say that as they got farther away.

"What's her problem-other than not liking me?" Harry asked, stuffing a sandwich in his mouth.

I shrugged. "Hell if I know. She's been like that."

Harry stared down at the bowl of his soup on his plate, pushing through it with his spoon. I looked up at Katniss and Peeta. He at least seemed to be calming her down, that was good.

"You okay?" I asked as they sat back down.

Katniss nodded. "Yeah. I'm okay. Sorry about...that."

I shrugged and went back to eating, but after a moment I elbowed Harry. He jumped and spilled soup on his shirt.

"Okay. Ow!" He said, grabbing a napkin to wipe off the hot soup.

Katniss laughed. Harry glared at her. Peeta looked as though he wanted to reprimand her, like a small child.

"So, uh..." Harry had no clue how to even attempt a conversation with Katniss there.

Awkward silence followed, and none of us even attempted to say anything.

"So, um, what do you think of the Capitol?" Peeta asked, at least trying to lessen the awkwardness.

"It's okay," I said, glancing up from my plate.

"Hm. So, uh..."

"Do either of you have any pets or something?" I asked, as a last ditch effort.

"Yeah," Katniss spoke up. "My sister has a cat and a goat."

"Nice. Our friend Hermione has a cat."

"Looks like he ran his face into a wall, though," Harry snorted.

"Oh yeah? Buttercup looks the same way. I don't really like him, but Prim _adores_ him." It took a minute to register that Prim was her sister.

Harry laughed. "Yeah, at first Ron-my friend, her brother-was appalled that she bought the thing. Tried to eat his rat."

Katniss laughed a little. Well, they were both making an effort to be nice, for once.

"So," I said. "Katniss, d'you mind if I tag along in training later? You can say no, it's okay." I added the last part as an afterthought. I didn't want her to think I was forcing her to say yes.

"Sure." Well...I hadn't expected that.

Once we'd finished eating (and the instructors had finished talking to the Gamemakers) Katniss and I headed off the archery.

"How good are you?" she asked suddenly.

"I'm okay, I guess."

"How about a little...competition?"

I smirked. "You're on."

The instructor saw us and pulled a couple of bows and some arrows out. Katniss and I easily hit the bullseyes on the regular targets. And, seeing how good we were, the instructor started throwing fake birds into the air for us to shoot. Only when we hit six or seven at one point, did I realize it had grown quiet. We oculd hear every bird hit the floor.

Everyone was staring at us. I smiled a little at Harry who was also staring.

Katniss and I moved from station to station, sometimes together, sometimes seperately, bumping into Peeta or Harry every once in a while. When training was finished, we walked out together. It was almost as if we were friends.

"Everyone is telling their mentors to request you as an ally. What did you do in there?" Haymitch asked Katniss as we got to the elevator.

"They saw her shoot," Peeta said, grinning. "In fact, I'm about to put in a formal request myself."

What was I wearing Harry's Invisibility Cloak?

"Even I was going to," Harry said. Wow. She was that good.

"You're that good?"

She shrugged. "It was nothing."

"Even Chaff wants you."

"I don't want him. I want District three and Mags."

Haymitch sighed. "Of course you do."

In the elevator, I was the only one trying to keep up any sort of conversation. Although, the most I got was a "yes" or a "no", but sometimes I just got silence. I gave up pretty fast.

They stepped out on their floor, without saying a word. I was grateful, Haymitch's breath was making me feel kind of dizzy with all the alcohol fumes.

As we got out of the elevator I heard Harry mutter, "One day down, six more to go."


	6. The Interviews

**A/N: Man, Peeta's POV is always so long, and Harry and Ginny's POVs are so short. xD Just like in Hallows Games, all of Peeta's interview was taken straight from the book.**

**I had so much fun writing Harry's POV. Haha. **

**And for some reason my computer thought "Harry's" was spelled wrong. -.-**

Peeta

I was getting sick of the other Victors questioning the Quell. I mean, sure, they all had a point, but it was getting old. We were already there, it was less than 24 hours away, so nothing they said or did could change a damn thing.

I could barely take my eyes away from Katniss in the dress though. She looked uncomfortable, like it was a punishment. But in a way, it probably was. She was trying to be a bit cheery, but if was weak.

"Isn't it just…the most beautiful thing?" she said.

She spun around, showing off the dress. But as she spun, it started to smoke, and then there were flames. She kept spinning until the fire stopped, leaving only a few wisps of smoke behind. I let out the breath I hadn't realized I was holding. She wasn't hurt, but the dress was different. Instead of white, it was black with white patches on the sleeves. She looked like a bird.

Caesar reached out and gently touched the headpiece.

"Feathers," he said. "You're like a bird." Well, no duh.

"A Mockingjay, I think," she said. Nothing good could _possibly _come from that transformation. "It's the bird on the pin I wear as a token."

Caesar's eyes narrowed for a moment, then went back to normal. Maybe I'd imagined it, but I could've sworn he'd glanced up where President Snow must have been.

"Well, hats off to your stylist. I don't think anyone can argue that that's not the most spectacular thing we've ever seen in an interview. Cinna, I think you better take a bow!"

Cinna stood, and made a small bow. He must've known how this would be taken by President Snow, and there was no way he could possibly recover from it.

The crowd was cheering wildly. He tried to quiet them, but it was no use. The buzzer that indicated Katniss's time was up was barely audible. He thanked her and she came back and sat down in her seat. I touched her knee lightly as I stood up, and she smiled a little bit.

He said something about fires and feathers and overcooked poultry, but my mind was elsewhere.

"So, Peeta, what was it like when, after all you've been through, you found out about the Quell?" Caesar asked.

"I was in shock. I mean, one minute I'm seeing Katniss looking so beautiful in all these wedding gowns, and the next…" It was all going smoothly.

"You realized there was never going to be a wedding?" he prompted, obviously trying not to upset me or something.

I looked at the audience for a minute, choosing my words carefully. "Caesar, do you think you can keep a secret?"

The audience laughed, obviously it wasn't going to be a secret as the whole country was watching.

"I feel quite certain of it."

"We're already married," I said quietly. The crowd gasps, and I could see Katniss bury her face in her hands. Ginny looked shocked, her mouth was hanging open, and if it wasn't so serious, I could've laughed.

"But…how can that be?" he asked.

Time to put the plan in action. "Oh, it's not an official marriage or anything. But we have this marriage ritual in District Twelve. I don't know what it's like in the other districts. But there's thing we do," I said, and I quickly described the bread-toasting thing.

"Were your families there?"

"No, we didn't tell anyone. Not even Haymitch. And Katniss's mother would never have approved. But you see, we knew if we were married in the Capitol, there wouldn't be a toasting." No, we didn't. She didn't even know what I was going to say. "And neither of us wanted to wait any longer. So one day we just did it. And to us, we're more married than any piece of paper or big party could make us." No we weren't.

"So this was before the Quell?"

"Of course before the Quell. I'm sure we'd never have done it after we knew," I said, and I could've sworn my voice was getting higher. "But who could've seen it coming? No one. We went through the Games, we were victors, everyone seemed so thrilled to see us together, and then out of nowhere—I mean, how could we anticipate a thing like that?"

"You couldn't, Peeta." He put his arm around my shoulders. "As you say, no one could've. But I have to confess, I'm glad you two had at least a few months of happiness together."

So much applause if was deafening. Katniss looked up from her hands, her eyes filled with tears.

"I'm not glad," I said finally. "I wish we had waited until the whole thing was done officially."

He looked surprised. "Surely even a brief time is better than no time?"

"Maybe I'd think that too, Caesar," I said, steeling myself for the next part of the sentence. "if it weren't for the baby. "

The audience exploded with shouting of accusation of injustice and cruelty. Exactly what I'd hoped for. Even the most Capitol-loving, Games-hungry person couldn't ignore it.

Katniss's face was projected on the screen, looking confused, scared, and kind of miserable. Caesar tried to reign in the shouting of the crowd, but they wouldn't be quiet. I barely heard the buzzer. I nodded a good bye and went back to my seat.

Ginny was staring at me, her lips moving, but now sound came out. Harry just looked stunned. Katniss had buried her face in her hands again. I didn't pay attention to Ginny and Harry's interviews; I was too busy willing the time to hurry up so I could talk to Katniss and see how mad at me she was.

Ginny

I knew my mouth was hanging open, but I didn't care. I was too in shock. When he came to sit back down I tried to say something, but my mouth wouldn't work. Once Caesar got the audience quiet again, he called me up.

"So, Ginny. How do _you _feel about this whole thing?" he asked.

_How do I feel? I feel like I don't want to be here._ But I didn't say that. "It's nerve-wracking really. I felt like I was alright once we got out of the arena. No more fighting for my life, wondering if I was going to be killed…" I suddenly felt very cold. "But now, I have to do it all again."

He seemed truly upset. "Yes, it must be very hard having to go back and fight your friends, too."

"Yeah. Getting to know everyone is just going to make it harder in the end."

"So tragic, our most recent victors being torn apart." I didn't quite think _torn apart _was a good word choice. When I didn't say anything he said, "And you had such a short time with Harry."

Oh God. Why did he have to bring that up? It suddenly hit me that it was unlikely that either one of us would survive the Games. "It's feels like much shorter than it is, but I'm making the most of the time we have left."

The audience "aww"ed. I guess they thought it was sweet. Harry was smiling.

"So, tell us, how crazy is it living with six older brothers?" he asked, changing the subject as quickly as he could.

"Well, my oldest brothers—Bill, Charlie, and Percy-are the good ones, naturally." That made everyone laugh. "The twins—Fred and George-play pranks on everyone and anyone they see, and my other brother, Ron…well I'd say he's a bit of everything." I laughed along with the audience. "We could hardly walk down the stairs without tripping on someone's book or something." I was much happier with this subject; I loved my family, even if they were prats sometimes.

"What about your parents?"

"My mum is like a superhero keeping all of us in line…most of the time. And my dad…he's well he's curious with—" I barely stopped myself from saying 'muggle' "uh, with certain things, trying to figure out how they work." I could just picture my dad's eyes lighting up when figure out how a difficult piece in a muggle 'contraption' worked.

Everyone laughed. "Must've been chaotic at your house when you were all home at once."

"Yeah, we could barely hear ourselves think over all the noise."

The buzzer went off. Thank God. It wasn't so bad, but I was getting sick of it. He wished me luck and I sat down. He called Harry up. I smiled at him as he walked up there. I tried to focus on what he was saying, but it didn't quite work. I ended up staring at him. I was glad that the camera didn't go over to me, or I would've been really embarrassed. Or maybe it had and I just hadn't noticed.

Caesar said something to audience, the anthem of Panem began to play. Suddenly the crowd went crazy again. I never did find out why, though. All along the row of Victors, they were joining hands. I reached out for Harry, and Peeta grabbed my other hand. In the confusion of trying to quiet the crowd again, the cameras didn't shut off in time. It showed us all, standing in line. A perfect example of rebellion.

Why did Katniss, Peeta, Harry, and I always end up in the same elevator car? It was strange. This time though, there was no talking. Only uncomfortable, tense, silence. When they got out, I finally relaxed. It stopped at our floor, and we went to our rooms. He opened the door to his room and I followed him in.

"What? Afraid of the dark or something?" he teased.

"Ha ha." I put my arms around him. It was the last time we'd be together outside of an arena.

"It's gonna be fine, you know."

"It's the arena. Nothing is ever fine."

Without saying anything, he leaned down and kissed me.

"We'd better get some sleep, I guess," he said.

I was tired. "I don't want to sleep. The sooner we sleep the sooner we have to get up and go to the arena."

He didn't argue. He pulled me over and sat down on the bed with his arms around me. How long we stayed like that, I don't know, but it still seemed too short.

Harry

Ginny smiled as I got up. She'd done great as usual. It was easy to tell she really loved her family, the way she talked about them.

"Harry, how are you?"

Odd question. "Nervous, I guess. I mean, who really wants to go back to the place they've been trying so hard to escape."

"What do you mean?" Damn. I really should've kept my mouth shut; I really didn't want to explain.

"I'm sure nearly every victor has nightmares after the arena."

He was silent for a minute. "It's gonna be tough going back then."

"Yeah."

When I answered the questions, I knew what I was talking about, but the minute my interview was over I could barely remember a thing of what I'd said.

Everyone stood up to leave, and suddenly the crowd went mad. There was no clear reason why, either. I looked down at Ginny. She held out her hand and grabbed it. The screens showed all the victors again, standing in one long, unbroken, line. I hoped the Capitol and the Ministry were feeling like they'd been slapped in the face right about now. They deserved it.

It bugged me that we always ended up in the same elevator. It was probably because we were on the top two floors, but still it was annoying. But, I have to admit, the silence was even more annoying. As soon as we got out, I headed to my room. I could hear Ginny walking behind me.

"What? Afraid of the dark or something?" I teased her. It was fun.

"Ha ha." She put her arms around me.

"It's gonna be fine, you know."

"It's the arena. Nothing is ever fine."

I didn't say anything for a minute, and then I leaned down and kissed her.

"We'd better get some sleep, I guess," I said.

"I don't want to sleep. The sooner we sleep the sooner we have to get up and go to the arena." She still looked tired.

I didn't argue with her; she was right. But it would be better if we went into the arena when we were awake, not half-asleep. I pulled her onto the bed and put my arms around her. We sat there for what seemed like forever.

Finally, she said, "I'm gonna change out of this ridiculous dress."

She went out, probably to get some clothes from her room.

Someone knocked on the door. At first I thought it was Ginny, but when I opened it, it was Dumbledore.

"Harry..." he gasped, grabbing my arms. "Do you...have…wand?"

"Yeah. But Professor-"

"Keep…with you…all times…" he was struggling to say it as though every word hurt.

He bent forward as though he was in pain. "Professor?" I asked, nervously.

"Harry." I could've sworn his eyes looked paler than before…almost white. "I'm sorry, Harry, I'm a bit tired. Just forget what I said."

He turned on his heel and left. Then it hit me. Why he'd acted so strange for the whole year…

Ginny looked confused. "Was that Dumbledore?"

"Yeah…listen, Gin. I think…I think he's been Imperiused."

"But…who would've Imperiused him?"

I had an idea. Suddenly everything had clicked into place. "Why would the Ministry have entered Hogwarts into the Hunger Games? Because they wanted me dead. And who has a really good reason to want me dead?"

"No…it can't be! You-Know-Who can't be alive can he? I mean, he doesn't have a body…does he?"

"I dunno, but I do know that he's doing all of this."

"Then why hasn't your scar hurt?"

That lost me. I knew I was grasping at straws when I said, "Maybe…maybe we're too far apart."

"That never stopped it before, Harry."

"I know. But there's no other explanation! I _know _he's behind it all."

"Okay, whatever you say Harry, but right now, let's concentrate on trying not to die tomorrow, okay?"

"You don't believe me, do you?"

"Of course I do," she said, sounding exasperated. "But right now that's not the biggest worry."

"Not the biggest worry—"

"Harry, just drop it all right? Now, tell me what happened with Dumbledore."

I told her. "Keep my wand with me? Why do you think he said that?" I asked.

"Harry…just give the You-Know-Who theory a break."

"But I know Voldemort's behind all this!"

"Harry, I told you I believe you, but you need to concentrate on making it through tomorrow at least if you want to even think about him again!"

"Fine," I agreed.

"You're such a stupid, noble, prat."

I smiled. "I know I am."

Without waiting for another lecture about how I should be focusing on the Games, I kissed her.


	7. The Games Begin

**A/N: This seems like it took forever to write. xD **

**Warning: I changed some things between Harry and Ginny's POVs, so I don't know if everything is the same in both versions. xD**

**I swear, it's different from the book next chapter. **

Harry

Unfortunately, Ginny and I had woken up at about dawn, so we had plenty of time to stress. I had taken to pacing the room for about an hour, before she said she was going to go shower before her stylist came to get her.

I paced some more. I couldn't remember ever being more agitated and anxious. I kept moving my wand from the drawer, to on the pillow, to in my pocket, back on the pillow, trying to figure out how to sneak it into the arena with me.

Ginny came back in and I jumped.

"God, Harry, get a grip, it's not like he's going to attack you here when we're in a building full of muggles!"

"Yeah," I said. She was probably right, but I couldn't help being nervous.

"Come on, we've probably only got a few min—"

Right then her stylist chose to come and get her. Brilliant timing.

She smiled one last time. "It's going to be alright, Harry. Don't worry." And she followed her stylist out of the room.

Pacing. Pacing. More pacing. Why couldn't I stop pacing for God's sake? Oh, yeah I was freaking out that's why.

It seemed like forever until my stylist came and got me. Tigris tried to talk to me, but I didn't care. How was I possibly going to hide my wand when I had to change into those clothes for the arena. I supposed I could Stun her…no, then I'd be in more trouble with the Ministry. _The Ministry is under Voldemort's control_, I reminded myself. _I can't get in trouble any more. _I decided I'd figure it out once I saw the clothes.

…And I was screwed. The blue jumpsuit and the purple belt were not helpful in hiding a wand. I ended up just shoving it in my boot, though that wouldn't be easy to get out if I needed it in a hurry. I'd figure it out.

"Not very warm," Tigris said, pursing her lips and looking at the fabric. "It could possibly be good for water if it was treated."

Water? Oh God. I couldn't swim or anything, and I didn't think Ginny could either. We were _so _screwed.

As I stepped onto the plate, I wondered if Ginny knew that the arena was going to have water. The tube sealed itself around the metal plate. As it rose, I finally put two and two together and realized, if I had to swim my wand would get wet. And I had no idea what would happen if my wand got wet. The odds were not in _my _favor.

Then I remembered that I'd told Ginny to keep her wand with her too. I was going to potentially mess up both of our wands. God, I was so stupid!

I looked around trying to find Ginny. I saw her flaming red hair three tributes to my right. She looked scared; and I knew why.

All around us there was water. In the middle was the Cornucopia. Small strips of beach were going out from the center, but they were so far away!

"Ladies and Gentlemen let the Seventy-Fourth Hunger Games begin!"

Sixty seconds to figure out what the hell to do. I could see Ginny staring at a bow in the center. The gong went off.

I jumped right into the water. I could doggy-paddle, but it was very slow. And surprisingly, I didn't drown. Something was keeping me at the top of the water, and at first I thought it was something in the water, then I realized it was the belt. I paddled over there as fast as I could. Katniss and Finnick were there, looking over the items.

I hauled myself onto the sand, and before I could even breathe, Katniss had turned and aimed an arrow at me. When she saw it was me, she lowered her bow, but she looked reluctant, like she still wanted to kill me.

"Well?" she snapped. "Come on then!"

I pulled myself up and ran to the Cornucopia. There were only weapons there. I grabbed a knife and stuck it in my belt, then grabbed a sword. By then, Ginny had reached the Cornucopia, too. I grabbed the second bow and arrows and tossed them to her. She smiled and turned toward the tributes, probably to check if anyone else was off their plates. Most of them were still there. I turned back to Katniss and Finnick.

Finnick was swimming back, pulling someone along. Peeta. Apparently, he couldn't swim either.

"So, I guess you two are in too?" he asked.

"Guess so," I shrugged.

"Let's get out of here before they all show up," Katniss said.

Some of the other tributes were now paddling toward us. We all jumped in the water, and swam—those of us who couldn't swim just kind of paddled—to the shore. We walked into the jungle trying to find a place to stop. Finnick requested a break after a while, but I think it was more for his district partner Mags, more than him. After a few minutes, we set off again.

Peeta slashed away some vines with his knife. Katniss had started saying something, but Peeta was thrown backwards before she could even really say it. She kneeled down next to him, calling his name. He wasn't breathing, I could tell.

Ginny was moving her mouth, and I knew she was trying to figure out if there was a spell or something she could use to save him. I shook my head. It wouldn't be worth it to do that.

Finnick had bent over him. He looked like he was kissing him, but that was stupid; he wouldn't do that.

After a minute or so of that, Peeta coughed a little bit. Katniss was hugging him. He tried to get up, but Katniss held him down.

"We're staying here for a while, Peeta," she said.

It was a good idea. Peeta didn't look like he could even sit upright by himself. Katniss and Ginny went off to find something to eat. Mags and Finnick started weaving baskets and things. And what did I do? I stood there looking stupid. I had no idea what to do, if I could even do anything.

When Katniss and Ginny got back, Mags and Finnick had made a whole shelter. It was crazy.

"Find any water?" Finnick asked.

"No, but this guy," she held up a large rat. "had to drink somewhere."

"Is it safe?" I asked. I really didn't feel like eating something that would kill me.

"Guess so." That didn't help.

We didn't want to risk a fire, so I ended up coming up with putting chunks of meat on sticks and sticking them in the force field. They bounced back, completely cooked.

"Good idea," Katniss said, though I could tell she wasn't happy _I'd _come up with the idea.

We rested, taking turns sleeping in the shelter. Around Midnight, Katniss and I were stuck on guard duty.

We didn't talk. I couldn't wait for it to be over. Ginny was sleeping, and I couldn't help watching her, the way her hair blew away from her face every time she breathed…

"What's that?" Katniss asked.

I looked where she was pointing. There was something coming closer.

"Fog," I said.

It felt like my skin was on fire.

"Get up!" Katniss yelled, jumping up. "We've got to get of here!"

I jumped up. We ran as fast as we could. It seemed like the tree roots appeared out of nowhere. Peeta and Ginny and I kept tripping on them. Katniss was staying with Peeta, trying to guide him. Finnick had stopped a few feet ahead.

He put Mags down and said something to Katniss. Finnick grabbed Peeta, and Katniss took Mags. I don't how they managed it, because the fog was making it harder for us to even move, and I couldn't move my arms at all. It was like when Lockhart removed all the bones in my arm.

Katniss tripped. Mags stood up, walked over to Finnick, and then I think she said something to him. She walked off into the fog. She dropped, and started twitching.

"Oh God," Ginny said. "Run!"

Easier said than done. We were still tripping. The fog seemed to get thinner…

Katniss, Finnick, and Peeta all crashed into each other, but I hit a tree. Well, at least it helped me stop walking.

I don't know how long we were on the ground before Katniss managed to say "Monkeys."

The monkeys were above us in the trees, but they didn't care we were there.

When we finally were able to drag ourselves out of the forest, I just lay spread out on the sand for a minute. Finnick had completely collapsed, and Ginny was sitting with her head on her knees. Only Katniss and Peeta were doing anything. They had gone out into the water. There was white stuff swirling around them.

"Come over here!" Peeta called.

Ginny and I went in and stood next to them in the water. It stung a bit, but then when the white stuff started to get into the water, it felt better.

I took off my boots, being careful not to let my wand fall out. I sat in the water, letting it soak out all of the white stuff. I don't know how I did it, but I fell asleep there. I guess running for your life can have that affect.

Ginny

Once I'd stowed my wand in my boot, I couldn't relax. Even without it, I wouldn't have been able to relax.

When the voice announced that there was one minute left, I stepped onto the plate. The tube sealed around me, and the plate went up.

The ground was oddly shiny. I had to squint my eyes to see it. Water. No wonder. I was in trouble. I didn't know how to swim. I would either drown, or die of starvation on the plate. Lovely. I saw Harry jumping into the water. So he was going to try to swim, huh? Well then. He didn't drown, though, somehow. He bobbed on the top for a second, then he paddled to the middle.

_Fine_, I thought. _Might as well go. _I jumped down. I figured I'd just sink to the bottom. But I floated up. I paddled over to the Cornucopia. Harry tossed me a bow and arrows when I was out of the water. I smiled at him. I turned around to see if any of the other tributes had gotten off their plates yet. Not many had, but the ones that did were just getting off the plates.

"Let's get out of here before they all show up," Katniss said.

I shook my head and followed them into the water. We hurried into the jungle to find a place. After a while, Finnick told us to stop, but I think it was more for Mags than him. In a couple of minutes, we started walking again.

Peeta slashed some vines with his knife, just as Katniss started saying something. He was flying backwards through the air before she could even really get the words out. She leaned down next to him, calling his name over and over.

I was horrified. I looked at Harry. Out of habit, I started running through the list of spells in my head, moving my mouth silently. Harry shook his head. He was right. If I did anything we'd be completely screwed with the Ministry. If we even got out of there, that is.

Peeta coughed. Katniss hugged him so tightly, I didn't know how he could possibly breathe. When he tried to get up, she held him down.

"We're staying here for a while, Peeta," she insisted.

That was good. Peeta didn't look too good, he was pale and shaky. Katniss grabbed my arm and hauled me off to hunt.

"We need water or something," I said.

"Yeah. But I didn't see any…the lake might be the only source…"

"It can't be!" I said. "They wouldn't do that…would they?"

She had a disgusted look on her face, kind of like Snape when someone brewed a potion incorrectly. "The Gamemakers are sick. They'll do anything for ratings. I wouldn't put it past them to have the only water in the lake. And only saltwater, too."

I knew she was right. After a bit, we found a big rodent, and Katniss shot it.

"It's mouth is wet," she said.

I looked closer. It's mouth was wet. It had to drink water from somewhere.

I found another one and shot it, and we went back to the camp. When we got there, Finnick and Mags had built a whole shelter made of grass. Harry was sitting there awkwardly, and Peeta was asleep. I almost laughed.

"Find any water?" Finnick asked.

"No, but this guy," Katniss held up a large rat. "had to drink somewhere."

"Is it safe?" Harry asked. Oh. I forgot. We were in an arena, where anything could be poisonous. Duh.

"Guess so." _Wow, Katniss. Seriously? _I thought. The rodent in my hand seemed to weigh a million pounds more.

None of us wanted to start a fire. The other tributes were experienced, and wouldn't mind killing us. So it was a good idea not to tell them exactly where we were. Harry ended up coming up with just tossing them into the force field to cook them.

"Good idea," Katniss said. She didn't seem happy that Harry even came up with the idea.

Harry, Katniss, Mags, and I all slept while Finnick and Peeta were on guard. Katniss had insisted that Peeta should rest and not stay up for God-knows-how-long, but he said he'd slept enough. Whatever.

"Get up!" Katniss yelled. "We've got to get of here!"

I must've fallen asleep. Katniss and Harry were standing up, shaking the others awake. I pushed myself up, and we all ran. Finnick ran fast, carrying Mags on his shoulder. Katniss ran nearly as fast, but she slowed down for Peeta. Harry and I were last.

Finnick stopped and said something to Katniss. He grabbed Peeta, and she took Mags. It was impossible for me to carry myself, so I can't even get how they carried Peeta and Mags.

Katniss tripped over a root. She said something to Finnick. He shook his head then looked at me and Harry. After a second I realized, Katniss couldn't take Mags, and neither could Finnick. And Harry and I weren't any better. I shook my head.

Mags got up and walked over to Finnick, said something I think, and then walked straight into the fog. She fell to the ground, shaking and twitching.

"Oh God," I whispered. "Run!" I said louder.

Easier said than done. We were still tripping. And rubber-feeling arms and legs weren't helping a bit. I felt like one of Fred and George's dummy wands—the ones that turned into rubber chickens.

Katniss, Peeta, and Finnick, crashed into a pile, Harry hit a tree, and I just plain collapsed. We must have looked crazy.

"Monkeys," Katniss managed to say after a while.

They didn't seem to know, or care that we were there.

After a while, we managed to drag ourselves out to the beach. We were right there in plain sight, for everyone to see, but we didn't care. I just sat there with my head on my knees, while Katniss and Peeta went out into the water. Finnick was face-down in the sand.

"Come over here!" Peeta called.

Harry and I went in and stood next to them in the water. It hurt a bit, but felt better once some of the white stuff was gone.

I took off my boots, carefully keeping my wand hidden. Harry fell asleep, and I just splashed in the water.

"What's that?" I asked.

There was a parachute coming toward us. I grabbed it out of the air. I went over to Katniss and Peeta.

"Do you know what this is?"

"No," Peeta said.

"Maybe…" Katniss whispered. She thought for a minute. "A spile! You use it to tap trees to get sap out. "

"Why would we need a spile?" Peeta asked.

I thought about it. "The rat had long teeth and claws right? And its face was wet! _That's _where the water is!"

Well, now we wouldn't die of thirst anyway.


	8. The Arena

**A/N: I just realized….I think Harry **_**can **_**swim. I re-read Goblet of Fire and in the second task…he was swimming. Unless it was just the whole gillyweed-gave-him-the-ability-to-breathe-and-be-underwater-for-over-an-hour thing that made him swim too. (But I doubt it.) So…woops. Ah well. **

**I'm so sorry this took so long. Dx I've been kicking myself to finish it, but school cut into my writing time, and I had no inspiration, it was hard to figure out what to write. But here it is, finally! :D**

**I tried to make it different…but since I'm trying to keep the time frame of the Quell in the book (three or four days, I think? Please tell me if I'm wrong about that.) it's hard to have it much different. Dx**

**And I'm not really including the cannons, because I would undoubtedly lose count and not have the right amount anyway. **

Katniss

Peeta went to tap a tree for some water, and Ginny dragged Finnick to the edge of the water so we could put some water on him. We dumped handfuls of the water on him, careful to avoid the white wisps coming off his skin.

"Hey, I got it!" Peeta called, turning to us.

We poured one last handful on Finnick, and went to get some water. The heat, running, and salt water had made my mouth dry. Once I'd had some water, I found a shell and put some water in it, to pour in Finnick's mouth. He'd thank me later.

"Hey, help me pull Finnick into the water," I said to Peeta. He came over and helped me drag him in up to his neck. Finnick groaned, but he didn't wake up.

There was a noise that sounded like someone drowning. I looked around. Ginny had dunked Harry's head under the water. He gagged and spluttered, reaching for his glasses which were in her hand.

I almost laughed. Peeta glanced at me, before putting his hands on Finnick's head and pushing it down and pulling him back up by his hair.

"What was that for?" Finnick asked, spitting out water. I always thought he'd had gills or something, and hadn't needed to breather underwater. Oops. My bad.

Peeta shrugged, but backed out of Finnick's hitting range.

"You could've woken me up the normal way instead of putting my head in the water!"

"You were pretty out of it," I muttered. "I doubt you would've woken up."

He still glared at me, and as he went past me into deeper water, he pushed my legs out from under me, making me splash headfirst into the water.

"Uh, guys…" Harry said after a while. "What's that?" He pointed to something near the other bank.

We all squinted our eyes to see what he was talking about. A wave was coming our way, getting bigger and closer by the second. Ginny seemed to realize it, too, and grabbed Harry's arm to pull him out. Smart move considering the best they could do was dog-paddling.

Peeta, Finnick, and I got back to the beach by the time the wave hit. Fortunately, we were far enough back. Our supplies got washed away, but we managed to save everything except our jumpsuits, which were so damaged anyway, that nobody cared.

Once the wave was gone, we went back to the beach and Finnick taught us how to get oysters. It was fun, especially when Harry leaned down to grab an oyster, and a small wave hit him in the face. I laughed, but stopped when I saw both Peeta and Ginny looking at me like "Really?"

Suddenly Ginny said, "Hey, what's that?"

Something—no, things—were coming toward us. Three of them, all covered in red, like they'd been dipped in paint. One of them fell to the ground, and one of the other bent down to help it. The third just wandered in circles.

"Johanna?" Finnick called, running over to see if it was really her. I followed him, after a moment.

"—and then we thought it was raining, but it was blood!" she was saying.

Then I saw her companions. Beetee was on the ground, and Wiress was still walking in circles, saying something along the lines of "Tick tock".

I bent down to Beetee. He was unconscious. Finnick and I pulled him into the water to wash off the blood. Ginny, Harry, and Peeta joined us; Harry and Peeta volunteering to get some water for the rest of us, and Ginny sitting Wiress down to wash off her clothes.

Beetee had a cut on his back from a knife when he was getting a metal cylinder from the Cornucopia. But other than that, he was fine. Well…except for the unconscious part.

Peeta and Harry brought back some water, and Johanna and Wiress drank most of it in a few mouthfuls.

It was a while before Beetee woke up, but almost as soon as he did, a parachute dropped out of the sky. Peeta grabbed it before it could hit the ground.

"Rolls," he said.

Finnick walked over and grabbed them. "Twelve rolls. They're from your district Beetee." He tossed a roll to each of us (except Beetee, who he handed the roll to, since his hand-eye coordination was still pretty shaky).

We ate our rolls in silence.

With our now-big group I had no idea how we'd manage to ever get enough supplies after this, with so many of us, even if there were plenty of rats in the trees, and leaves and grass to make shelters with...

But, I have to admit, though...for the first time I felt almost safe. Almost. I mean, it _was _the Hunger Games after all.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry to have two, but...yeah. I know it's months since I've updated, and this chapter is pretty much the same as in the books (and it's super short), but I really have no clue how to make it different, like I said above, and I just really wanted to get it up. But, anyways, review and tell me if I should show the rest of the Games, or skip to the last day, because it'll be pretty much the same until then.**


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